Japanese Vote Favors Nakasone

Ruling Party Gains The Majority

July 7, 1986|United Press International

TOKYO -- The ruling Liberal Democratic Party scored a landslide win Sunday to regain a majority in parliament in crucial national elections that boosted the chances of Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone serving a third term.

The pro-American LDP, which has held power since 1955 but suffered losses to opposition parties in 1983, regained its majority in parliament, where it had ruled through a coalition with a minor party.

Major television networks projected the Liberal Democratic Party would win a commanding majority of at least 271 seats in the powerful, 512-seat lower house of parliament, or Diet.

The projection was made after three hours of ballot-counting, the LDP had won 139 of the 185 seats decided, with 23 for the largest opposition group, the Japan Socialist Party.

The elections were for the entire lower house of 512 seats and for half the upper house, or 126 of 252 seats.

A big win could help Nakasone win support for his bid to change party rules that now bar him from staying in office beyond the end of his second, two-year term as party president in October. The LDP presidency carries the premiership because of the party`s parliamentary majority.

The Kyodo News Service called the election a substantial victory for the ruling party and said the LDP would wind up with 271 lower house seats, a commanding margin over the 257-seat simple majority.

The voting turnout was high. Election officials said more than 61 million of the nation`s 87 million eligible voters cast ballots Sunday for a turnout of 71.4 percent, considerably higher than the 64.9 percent in the last election three years ago.

High turnouts have historically helped the LDP, a pro-American, conservative party. ``Judging from the heavy turnout, we expect to do well,`` said Masaru Kawakami, a spokesman for the Liberal Democrats said earlier.

Vote-counting was slow because ballots were marked on paper and tallied at 3,400 tabulating centers nationwide. Results for the Diet`s less important upper house were not expected until midafternoon.

A total of 838 candidates from five major parties and several smaller groups and independents competed for 512 seats in the lower house, and 506 candidates sought the 126 seats at stake in the upper house.